stargaze
Americanverb (used without object)
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stargazes,
present (3rd person singular)
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stargazed,
past participle, past
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stargazing
present participle
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to gaze at or observe the stars.
-
to daydream.
verb
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to observe the stars
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to daydream
Usage
What does stargaze mean? To stargaze figuratively means to daydream, as in Staring at the whiteboard, Miguel was stargazing and didn’t hear anything the teacher said. Someone is said to be stargazing when they are staring at nothing, deep in thought. They may be staring out a window, out onto the horizon, or at something without really seeing it. Literally, to stargaze means to observe the stars. You might do this by going outside at night, away from lights, and just looking up at the stars. Some people stargaze as a hobby, meaning they track and observe patterns of the stars in the sky. They might use telescopes or binoculars or just their eyes. Stargaze is also used as an informal term for scientific research involving the solar system and outer space. By extension, sometimes astronomers, astronauts, and astrophysicists might be referred to as stargazers. Stargaze can also be used to mean to observe the stars in practicing astrology. Example: When Lauren is feeling sad and alone, she goes out to her backyard and stargazes for a bit.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stargazesimple
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stargazessimple
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have stargazedperfect
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has stargazedperfect
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am stargazingprogressive
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are stargazingprogressive
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is stargazingprogressive
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have been stargazingperfect progressive
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has been stargazingperfect progressive
Past
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stargazedsimple
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had stargazedperfect
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was stargazingprogressive
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were stargazingprogressive
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had been stargazingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stargaze
First recorded in 1620–30; back formation from stargazer
Explanation
To stargaze is to observe the night sky. Whenever you search overhead for the Big Dipper or Orion, you stargaze. You can stargaze using just your eyes, or peer at the stars through a telescope — unless you're a professional astronomer, you're stargazing. The ideal place to stargaze is somewhere remote, far from city lights that pollute the dark night sky. The original use of this term was derogatory; it meant "practice astrology," or act as a fortune teller. Gradually, stargaze came to have a more benign meaning, literally "gaze at the stars."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The kibbutz had a local pub, but there was little else to do at night other than stargaze and listen to jackals howling in the desert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
Perhaps that’s why a recent ranking by the betting website Action Network has some local astronomers scratching their heads over a decision to name California the best state in the nation to stargaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
Soak in the tub, stargaze, hike on nearby trails or curl up with a good book in front of a crackling fire.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2024
Extremely bright satellites could ruin the entire field of view, like trying to stargaze when someone periodically shines a flashlight into your eyes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2023
You can stargaze while we are eating lunch.
From Out of the Depths A Romance of Reclamation by George Brehm
She stargazes, recently saw a 22-degree halo on an almost full moon, has heard coyotes and once even found the remains of their prey, a baby deer.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2020
She stargazes, recently saw a 22 degree halo on an almost full moon, has heard coyotes and once even found the remains of their prey, a baby deer.
From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2020
In the days afterward, people on board ate at buffets, mingled, stargazed and attended lectures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
But they are no longer stargazed by life in the Champions League.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
The adventure — which cost between $250,000 and $300,000 — began in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, where they hiked, cycled, wine-tasted and even stargazed with a renowned astronomer.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2023
They rode mountain bikes, cooked over a campfire and stargazed at night.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2021
“We’d throw down a blanket to lie on and put the CD player between our heads, and while we stargazed Dad would play this music.”
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
While the two events are unrelated, their timing makes for an exceptional night of stargazing.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Meanwhile, users also wrote in some budget-conscious options like heading to the beach, playing board games and stargazing, according to Hinge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
As darkness falls later in the month, summer's classic stargazing targets begin taking center stage.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
He also organises the University of Reading's annual Observe the Moon Night, which is an annual stargazing event that draws hundreds of people to the campus.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
“Yeah, stargazing with the naked eye. No telescopes,” I said.
From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
